Puerto Princesa tourism up by 320%, causes power crisis

InterAksyon.com reports that Puerto Princesa is now experiencing a power crisis due to the sudden surge in tourism. The influx of tourists is the result of the controversial "New Seven Wonders of Nature" campaign, which declared the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the prime must-see spots.

The report revealed: "Prior to the ’New Seven Wonders of Nature’ win, Puerto Princesa’s tourist arrivals hovered at around 160,000 a year; the number was at 514,000 for 2011, or right after the Palawan Underground River joined the shortlist for the ’New Seven Wonders of Nature.’"

InterAksyon.com went to quote Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn, who said that he is now "knocking on the doors of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) as the local government looks for ways to source the additional 5-megawatt (MW) to 10-MW power that the city needs, in hopes of saving the ₱15-billion tourism industry."